Video: March against violence promotes Pottstown unity

March against violence heads south on Adams St.
Photo by Kevin Hoffman, The Mercury

POTTSTOWN — The Fit for Life Mercury Mile joined the second march against violence Tuesday evening.

More than 35 people marched down Walnut and Chestnut streets yelling “stop the violence, increase the peace.” Attendees included school board members, reverends and local residents who want to stem the recent increase in Pottstown crime.

The first march was June 10 and was organized as a result of several violent crimes in Pottstown. Recent incidents include the death of Steven Mitchel on June 5, a man shot in the elbow on Lincoln Avenue and an attempted robbery of the Wells Fargo Bank on East High Street.

Kenya Edwards, organizer of the march, said she not only wants to stop the violence but also wants to bring the community together to “uplift” the area.

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“I hope the outcome is more programs and more solutions to the problem,” she said.

Marchers began their walk in Pottstown from the Ricketts Center at 640 Beech St. and walked in a one-mile loop before returning to the center. The Mercury Mile is normally a lunchtime walk at noon on Thursdays, but the day was changed this week in effort to help residents feel safe to exercise outdoors.

Janice Burgess, the center’s unit director said the health and safety of the Pottstown area are important issues that need to be discussed.

“I think it’s important we stand up and take back our community,” she said.

She said it’s concerning that residents don’t feel safe to walk in the Pottstown neighborhoods.

“What can we do to protect our residents so they can choose healthier lifestyles?” Burgess asked.

She said recently the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation released an assessment and said the area is “lagging behind in some very important (health) areas.” Burgess said we have to ask ourselves what we can do to address these concerns.

Cindy Conard of Pottstown said the violence in the area has escalated and will get worse if nothing changes. She said there’s crime everywhere, but that Pottstown crime has increased recently. Conard said she reads the newspaper and attends council meetings but hasn’t heard anything about a “focused effort” about the recent crime.

“This (the march) is the community showing them (local government and police) that we’re willing to work with you but provide us with some leadership and provide us with some direction,” she said.

Pottstown School Board member Ron Williams held his “Stop the Violence” sign high and stood at the front of the march. He said the march is important and that it’s important to get the community involved. Williams said he hears too much negativity about the community but that every area has its problems.

“If we’re out here on the streets, if we’re walking around, and if our community is organizing itself then that story is awesome,” he said.

After the march returned to the Ricketts Center, the Rev. Dimitre Horton ended the event with a prayer.

During the prayer he said “Our town was not designed for the violence that is taking place now.”

Horton said there is an “epidemic in our town” and “parents are burying their children”

He said he’s been a Pottstown resident for 15 years and has seen more deaths this year than any other.

“My prayer is that we can come together as a community,” he said.

Edwards plans on doing more marches and events in the future to promote community togetherness. She said in the next coming weeks, they will have a community fun day for the children. Visit the Fit for Life website www.pottsmerc.com/Fitforlife for updates.

The Mercury is engaged in a year-long effort, Fit for Life, designed to promote healthy living and inspired by recent health studies which indicate an alarming increase in obesity and overweight people. In addition to articles in the newspaper and on our website, Fit for Life features a blog with recipes, health tips, resources, tips on getting fit without breaking the bank, maps and other tools all available free online. Visit the website at www.pottsmerc.com/Fitforlife, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MercFit4Life and follow our efforts on Twitter @MercFit4Life.

You can follow Michilea Patterson on Twitter @MichileaP. Patterson is the Fit for Life reporter and is funded in part by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation.

About the Author

Michilea Patterson is the Fit for Life reporter at The Mercury, partially funded by the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation. She is an Army brat and her father retired from the military while stationed in Missouri. She was the editor-in-chief of her college newspaper, the Lincoln Clarion, in Jefferson City, Mo. She graduated from Lincoln with her B.S. in journalism in 2013. Reach the author at mpatterson@pottsmerc.com
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